Pelham spites public, ignores New York law

Pelham clerk flagrantly ignored New York law and the public's right to know by arranging a closed-door arraignment for an NYPD officer accused of randomly shooting another man.

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Brendan Cronin, 27, is escorted from the Pelham courthouse to a lock up in the police station after his court appearance Wednesday. Cronin, an off-duty New York City police officer and resident of Yonkers, was arrested and charged in connection with a shooting in Pelham. The shooting took place at around 11:30 p.m. Tuesday.(Photo: Seth Harrison/The Journal News)Buy Photo

An off-duty New York City police officer, accused of shooting a man during an apparently random spree in Pelham, was gifted with a closed-door arraignment by a town clerk who kicked out a Journal News reporter but allowed four family members of the accused to stay in the courtroom.

When the clerk shut out the reporter, she also shut down the public's right to the proceedings and ignored the law.

NYPD Officer Brendan Cronin is charged with felony assault. The 27-year-old Yonkers resident was accused of firing as many as 16 shots out his car window; six bullets struck a New Rochelle man, who was a passenger in a nearby car.

The 47-year-old victim needed surgery and remains hospitalized. Pelham police say they believe Cronin used his service handgun, a Glock 9 mm.

The judge and the court clerk were unaware that the courtroom had been closed to all but the defendant's family, officials said.

The clerk's decision on Wednesday was a violation of New York law and an affront to the public, who would have heightened interest in such a random act of violence. The fact that the accused is a police officer should make little difference in the pursuit — and process — of justice.

A town clerk deals directly with open meeting laws; could the clerk really be ignorant of the law?

Pelham's police chief called the incident "random" and "bizarre"; there were no apparent connections between the alleged perpetrator and the victim. The police chief reported that Cronin refused to take a breath test to determine alcohol levels, and has been quiet while in custody, declining to answer questions from investigators.

While a Journal News reporter was barred from entering the court, Cronin's family members were included in the closed-door court session. Four family members were observed approaching a handcuffed Cronin, one at a time, and giving a hug or kiss.

While Thursday's session was open, we are left to wonder what happened in the courtroom on Wednesday. The defendant's responses, or lack of responses, physical demeanor and general interactions remain unknown because of the clerk's bad decision to violate New York law and the public's interest.

"Arraignments are public proceedings and not conducted simply for family members," David Bookstaver, a spokesman for the state Office of Court Administration, told The Journal News.

Cronin, a six-year police veteran who works in the 46th Precinct in the Bronx, was released on bail Thursday before his appearance that evening.

While Judge John DeChiaro has assured officials that the court did not know of, or condone, Wednesday's mistake, the slap to the public's right to know remains fresh. Pelham must take steps to ensure such bad decision-making doesn't happen again.